Bearshorty's musings

I finished The Martian tonight. Final verdict - good read. The detailed science gets a bit too much sometimes but it does add to realism. And I liked shifting POVs - that actually worked. Nice easy read that feeds into my excitement and interest in space program. (I loved my visit to Kennedy Space Center in 2008).

I also watched the new episode of "Grimm" while Tanya napped on me. Well, I didn't finish all the episode yet because it started buffering on Hulu - but it was tense so far and I can't wait to finish it to see what happens. One tense scene with Juliette and Rosalee shocked me that I was begging for it to be a dream sequence. Wow, Grimm. Kudos for that. For the show that started as a big boys club, the women grew so much as characters and are awesome. It is also the show where I enjoy the canon pairings very much and root for all.

Today, Marianna and family and Yeva came over. Originally, the plan was to go to Queens to Marianna's apartment but she felt it was too messy and asked on Friday if they could come over instead. It's fine - less traveling and disruption for us, but it also meant the get together was later. I always show up o
n time since I hate being late. But for Marianna, and especially, Yeva, time is very relative. Luckily, I adjust my internal clock two hours in expecting them so I don't get cranky. I knew lunch would really be dinner. We ordered Thai food from this place nearby I discovered online. It was very tasty. I wanted Thai food for so long - go Drunken Noodles.

Ida and Tanya match well on skills, as they should, being only two days apart. Tanya is definitely more of an observer and more serious baby. Ida is a happy baby who smiles a bit more and babbles more. They liked looking at each other. Tanya knows how to use a sippy cup, rolls more and sleeps better at night, Ida can sit a bit longer leaning forward and has two teeth already. Tanys is very scheduled (because I need organization and schedule from feeding to naps to bedtime), Ida doesn't have one (because Marianna is more relaxed). Both of us are happy that way and I love that we can offer each other tips and advice from our different parenting styles. Galya was a very social 3 year old too. So full house today and so great to see everyone.

Yesterday's "Glee" episode made me nostalgic for "Jagged Little Pill" album, so I put my tape (yes, tape) of it on while I was making chocolate chip muffins for the guests this morning. I love that CD. I got it from a boyfriend for my 17th birthday, and didn't really listen to it then. But when I was 18 and a half and a friend was visiting and wanted to play it, I discovered that I love most of the songs from it when they play on the radio. So from then on, I listened to that album a lot. (Weird fact - I see a dog when I look at that cover looking straight, instead of a face looking up)

On Friday, my new Microsoft Office 2013 finally arrived at my parents' house after some extra traveling. I even got on the phone with the post office because my tracking said it was going to Brooklyn in a different direction - this was a priority mail order too. But it got there at the end, which is what's important. And I installed it yesterday. I'm still getting used to Windows 8 - slowly. It is still majorly awkward and weird at times like creating shortcuts for my desktop. Some things are better - I reorganized my tiles. But I really, really love my new Office. It did take a little time to figure out how to change the stupid paragraph formatting - I hate that space between paragraphs and I prefer Times Roman 12, but otherwise it is pretty cool and very shiny.

And today I'm getting reacquainted with Excel. I applied to a few jobs today, and one job for an Analyst Fellowship needs me to take a test in Excel in handling educational data. I'm going to do it on Tuesday when my Mom is over so I get uninterrupted 2 hours but in the meantime, I took their suggestion and I'm watching Excel online tutorials. I learned Excel in high school and used it since then. I write a pretty complex formulas for grading and I created charts before and sorted and filtered data. And as I rewatched Basic videos, it was all review. I mean, I created a new 2015 Job workbook today right before I watched those. But still, there are new features in Excel 2013, so it was nice to know. Tomorrow I will watch Intermediate and Advanced videos since those will be directly relevant to data analyzing. I'm taking a city test for Research Assistant soon and they give special consideration for those with Excel skills, so I want to check that box with a very clear conscience in knowing Advanced skills.

I started reading The Martian by Andy Weir, the book that Papa gave me for my birthday. The author is a science nerd so his book has lots of actual science. It is about an astronaut who is left for dead on Mars and has to figure out how to survive. It is based on real scientific possibilities. But so far, actual science which is described in detailed is a bit boring to me. It is written clearly but I just want more plot to happen. I did just start, so I'll keep reading.

Giving Tanya a little water at 5 seems to really help, her bedtime definitely got much easier. It is very exciting for me. She is not crying much and has been pretty much asleep for sure by 8:15. And it is fun to see her master a sippy cup - she is so excited when she sees it. Bear was having a training day for taking care of Tanya by himself on Mondays when I go back to work, so I got a bit of a break today. I still had to show him everything and put her down for naps but overall, I got time to look for jobs and read a bit.

Golden Globes are on but this year they are in the background for me, really. I haven't seen any movies and I don't watch much TV anymore. But Matt Bomer just won for "Normal Heart" and I got to cheer a bit. And many ugly dresses are fun too. Still, I'd rather read or watch more Excel videos. I'm forcing myself to relax.